sick toddler ... need advice

[Brianna]

Rylan (26 months) woke up several times last night fussing and crying. This morning he is running a low grade fever (100.1), has a runny nose, and says his ears (both of them) hurt. He is extra clingy and whiny. He wants to be held and watch TV. I gave him a dose of Tylenol this morning and he no longer has a fever.

My question is, at what point do you take your child to a pedi? Rylan has never had a sick baby appointment. He is a really healthy kid. On one hand, I suspect he might be teething. He always pulls on his ears and is fussy when he teeths. On the other hand, he may have an ear infection. Right now I'm leaning towards waiting until luch and see how he is feeling then.

[klynnw]

If you touch his ears does he freak out? Also, if you have an ear thermometer, does he pull away when you put it in there? I found that my ds1 freaks when I get near his ears when he has an ear infection. Is he still clingy and whiny even though his fever went down? Also, ear infections can be worse feeling to the kid at night than they are during the day, so keep that in mind. (my ds1 has had a buttload of ear infections. He's actually had blood and other drainage coming from his ears they've been so bad. And that was while he was on antibiotics and had been to the ped) My ds also breaks out in a rash when he has an infection (don't ask me why) but usually red spotchy marks on his torso. Also, you could try baby orajel or teething tablets and see if that helps, then you would know it was just the teething.

Bottom line in my book: If you are concerned, bring him in. If he's miserable, it won't hurt him to be looked at. The worst they'll tell you is that nothing is wrong and then you have peace of mind.

[Brianna]

He wouldn't let me use the ear thermometer, but that is normal for him. He doesn't freak out when I touch his ears or gently tug on his earlobes. I gave him some more Tylenol this morning and he happily watching TV right now.

Going to the pediatrician is a big deal for us. We don't have insurance. Every time I take Rylan we end up paying aroun $300.00. Paying that would really stretch our budget right now. With that said, I wouldn't hesitate to take him in if I knew he really needed to go. I'm leaning towards not taking today since he is up and playing / watching TV. His pedis office is open on Saturday so I could always take him tomorrow if he gets worse.

Thanks for your response.

[blessedbythree]

My 10.5 month DD just got over 3 days of fever with no other symptoms, other than teething. I never took her in as she was always consolable and did not seem to be in tremendous pain. I did call and talk to a nurse after the fever had lasted more than 48 hours and she said that generally when it is an ear infection the child will be difficult to console and crying a lot. I would suggest watching him today to see how he does and if he seems to be in a lot of pain when the tylenol wears off. You could also call and talk to a nurse if you are concerned. My office does not charge for these calls so maybe yours does not either.

Hope he is feeling better soon.

[PeacefulMom]

I would say don't go but I don't like taking kids to the doc. My DH and DS always get sick AFTER going to the docs office! You can monitor him yourself and you know better than your ped what he is doing. That fever is low and if he is comfortable now really no need to worry yet. Just nourish him with extra love and good foods, extra C. And try to get him some fresh air and sunshine. You can also look up some info on good food sources for natures antibiotics, like garlic and see if you can get him to eat any of those things to keep from getting an infection.

It's a bummer when they get sick and you can't nurse like you used to. The first time Andrew got more than a runny nose was during this pregnancy and I had no milk to give him. All he'd drink was juice. He didn't even nurse as much as I thought he would. He nursed less than normal for that time even and went back to nursing more when he felt better!

I hope your little man is feeling well soon.

[klynnw]

I'm sorry, I didn't know you didn't have insurance......we have crappy insurance, but it is at least enough to help out a little. I did not mean to imply that you wouldn't take him if you needed to....sorry if anything came off as snarky in my previous post. I just know how much it sucks to have a crying kid all weekend b/c the doc office is closed and I've beaten myself up for not taking ds on Friday, so we end up in the er on Sunday b/c I can't take it anymore. Good luck getting everything better with your little guy :)

[Brianna]

klynnw you didn't sound snarky. Nothing you said was offending in any way. :)

I didn't end up taking him. He took Tylenol twice today and he had a nice long nap. He hasn't eaten much, but he has drank plenty of juice and water. He seems to feeling better this afternoon. He just went outside with dh to walk the dog.

[klynnw]

Glad he is feeling better this afternoon!

[PeacefulMom]

I am sure he will be fine Brianna! Just remember it may get worse at night and if his fever goes up a bit you can try a nice bath. I'd just say be careful with Tylenol because it masks symptoms and they feel better when they aren't and they ignore the instinct to rest. It's a fine line but i don't give Tylenol until DS's fever is above like 103 or wouldn't come down with a bath or if it is night and he can't sleep.

And keep giving him fluids. He may not need to eat much. If you can make a smoothie that he would drink it might give him some extra strength but otherwise he sounds like he's a trooper!

[Brianna]

A smoothie is a good idea. I probably shouldn't have given him the Tylenol. I am worn out today after being up with him last night. Going to get my shower and go to bed early tonight. I think me and ds both need some extra zzzs.

[Stephanie]

I generally give it a week before I do anything, unless major mommy-dar is going off. Ear infections are often viral, and will clear up on their own.

I do hope he feels better soon!